'Measures to counter terror not fully operational'

Various measures being taken to enhance the security apparatus in Mumbai after the 26/11 terror attacks are still incomplete, said a reply submitted by the home department in the state assembly on Monday.

Various measures being taken to enhance the security apparatus in Mumbai after the 26/11 terror attacks are still incomplete, said a reply submitted by the home department in the state assembly on Monday.

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The state home department is in the process of deciding the locations across the city for installing the closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras for round-the-clock surveillance.

A committee under chief secretary Ratnakar Gaikwad has been set-up to supervise the process and another technical committee has been appointed to advise the first committee, home minister RR Patil told in a written reply.

The process to install 5,000 CCTV cameras at various locations was initiated in August 2011 and was cleared by the Cabinet in October 2011. In the first phase, the government will put up 1,500 CCTV cameras across various spots in the city.

In a related case, a vehicle X-ray scanner bought for Rs7 crore is gathering dust, as the government is yet to get a company to look after the machine’s maintenance. The scanner was bought from an American firm four months ago but has not been operational yet. The scanner had developed some technical problems due to non-maintenance, Patil said in his reply.

The government had floated a tender to appoint a contractor for the same but two out of the three contractors were found unfit. For competitive bidding, the state government had re-floated the tenders but did not get any response.